The Armour Archive

James Arlen Gillaspie

Hello, Alcy,

Nope. The curators of museums jealously guard the secrets of the pivot points of 15th c. Italian gauntlets.

James Arlen Gillaspie

Hello, Johann, the pm's I sent you finally appeared in my sent mail. The earlier ones I sent to the other fellow still haven't shown up, though. Hmm, I wonder if they only move from the 'outbox' to the sent mail once they are read? So much I don't know about digital communication...

James Arlen Gillaspie

Symmetrical pairs of Italian half mittens were made; the Met has a pair, that come from Rhodes, if memory serves, and are dated about 1450. I expect they were made for combat on foot. Scales covered the last two joints of the fingers. IF THEY ARE MADE CORRECTLY, they give full mobility to the wrist....

James Arlen Gillaspie

Hello, Johann, please let me know if my pm made it to your box; it's not showing in my 'sentmail'.

James Arlen Gillaspie

Hello, Badbilly, let me know if I am filling your box with redundant posts!

They're not showing up in my sentbox.

James Arlen Gillaspie

Something else hanging about the shop. Parts for two 14 gauge helms, one almost done. They just need tops and the almost done one a few holes drilled or punched and to be riveted together. It can serve as a guide for the other one. The top is a bit high, as it was to be folded in according to a Swis...

James Arlen Gillaspie

Thanks for the compliment!

James Arlen Gillaspie

See if you can find some banding steel that is that wide, and use it in your highest impact areas. The stuff is strong.

James Arlen Gillaspie

There is no minimum number when it comes to how many photos you have to submit to be a member.

There is also no standard as to how good they have to be

Some of them are pretty bad!

So if you have a half dozen or so that are sort of OK, join up!

James Arlen Gillaspie

Jiri, you need to join the Arms and Armour Forum! There are plenty of pictures there; the only one no one could get was a straight on rear view!

James Arlen Gillaspie

Hello, Lorenzo, maybe I could make you one. Hmm, maybe it would sell if I roped the edge...

James Arlen Gillaspie

No, not sold yet! I keep looking at it and thinking that if I sell it, I have to make another one, anyway, someday. And I really like the lines, myself! It could be better, but it ain't half bad. Highest bid is $75 so far.

James Arlen Gillaspie

This was in the works years ago for a movie project that never took off, and I always intended to get back to it some day. It is too light for SCAdian duty, being only 16 gauge. Needs the usual hinges at the visor pivots for Italian style construction (doesn't mean that makes it Italian, though). It...

James Arlen Gillaspie

That Irish effigy is the armour equivalent of a coelacanth, but that just seems to be the norm for Ireland. I wish the fellow in the German piece was clear of the other fellow in front of him; it looks to me as though his fauld could be of different construction, more like the 'centurion', than what...

James Arlen Gillaspie

Here are a couple of pics of an Irish effigy and a German sculpture. Don't know about the rivet placement on the Irish effigy. The German one is particularly interesting, as it seems to show both cloth covered and bare.

James Arlen Gillaspie

Hello, Lorenzo, I used to sell a good number of these to historical fencers who also wanted to have a good gorget for SCA heavy. My experience with real 16th gorgets and their ergonomics is reflected in this piece. Makes a good foundation for munion spaudlers, too. Distance from the trapezius to the...

James Arlen Gillaspie

To the best of my recollection, nothing much before 1700.

James Arlen Gillaspie

Selling off some back issues of the Journal of the Arms and Armour Society of the U.K. Sept. 1959, March 1965, Sept 1965, March 1967, June 1967, Sept 1967, March 1968, Sept 1969, March 1971, June 1971, Dec 1971, March-June 1972, Sept-Dec 1973, June 1974, and Dec 1980. These issues are mostly concern...

James Arlen Gillaspie

Bump.

James Arlen Gillaspie

And a couple more. Some of the armour runs a little late!

James Arlen Gillaspie

Here are some more examples;

James Arlen Gillaspie

I hate selling my books, but here's another one. Das Berliner Zeughaus; vom Arsenal zum Museum by Heinrich Muller for sale; NOT to be confused with the pamphlet by Regina Muller. One of those large, lavish, coffeetable books put out by European museums to commemorate a speciel exhibition or annivers...

James Arlen Gillaspie

REAL neck protection. Unlike a typical 'marshal's pacifier', it will actually protect your neck quite effectively if the baseplates are overlapped by a breast and backplate; a thrust to the throat that hits the gorget will not move it back if it is held down by a cuirass. You will notice that there ...

James Arlen Gillaspie

Ochre can be painted onto those areas where you don't want the solder to flow. Jewelers use it.

James Arlen Gillaspie

Y'know, it seems to me there is some armour in Rome, a lot of it at the Castel Sant'Angelo. There's also the Odescalchi Castle in Bracciano, but that's about 20 miles or so northish of Rome, and I seem to remember there being some interesting pieces in that castle, but I'm not sure they are still th...

James Arlen Gillaspie

There's some stuff in the Stadtmuseum in Munich. They used to have a really nice little collection, with some extraordinary pieces, including an Italian celata with a brow reinforce that had an intact original polish underneath it. They had it displayed with the reinforce off, so that you could see ...

James Arlen Gillaspie

Is anybody going to organize a group order?

James Arlen Gillaspie

I used to wear a burgonet - lots of room, if the face bars are out at the brim, and the side clearances are right.

James Arlen Gillaspie

Giles, what makes you think they didn't have magnification? Detail from a van Eyck painting, 1430's. Reading glasses go back much further than that, though.

James Arlen Gillaspie

Well, Josh, if we can just get three more people...

James Arlen Gillaspie

Thanks for the kind words, Otto!

I am trying to come up with a (relatively) cheap 'German gothic' breastplate. Well, we'll see how that goes.

James Arlen Gillaspie

Dang. Looks like I'll HAVE to have a pair to wear under my long pointed sabatons. Helps with keeping the tip positioned right.

James Arlen Gillaspie

Icefalcon, the shipping comes to $8.95, so the total is $133.95. Thanks!

James Arlen Gillaspie

My deepest apologies to those who bought the books. I have quite a pile of packages on the living room floor, but I just couldn't get my act together today to make the big delivery to the post office.

James Arlen Gillaspie

...and his Grace is the winner! My paypal addy is

jamesarlen@verizon.net

I'll figure out the shipping in a bit.

Cheers,'

James

Great helm kits for sale

Great bascinet project for sale

Journal of the Arms and Armour Society for sale

Book on Berlin armoury for sale

Stainless gorget for sale; great to strap your spaudlers to!

Everything ships Saturday!